Staggered Path
by TidalChanges
Summary: An experimental fanfic. In the Forest of Death, when Sakura's fear gets the best of her, she finds herself fleeing instead of freezing in place. Features strong Sakura, crazy jutsu and a time travelling stoat.
1. Chapter 1

**Authors Note: **I am trying to improve my writing so any feedback, advice or criticism is highly appreciated. This is part of my collection of experimental fics so I will only bother updating if someone actually likes it, please fav, follow or review, it's helpful for me to know where I've gone right or wrong.

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Chapter One

Who swallows scrolls anyway?  
Okay, maybe it was a good technique, it would sure make it difficult to get the scroll, but Sakura could have done without the image. She shifted her weight backwards, stifling a gasp and noted Sasuke doing the same. Creepy women was creepy, Sakura had a really bad feeling about this, out of the corner of her eyes she concentrated on Sasuke. She couldn't let him down, she had to stand and fight, no matter what, she had decided to take this Chunin Exam, she had to do her part for her team.

The other genin slowly lifted a hand, smirking. "Now, let's begin the fight over our scrolls".  
With obvious deliberateness she swiped out her long pointed tongue, and shoved a finger in her eyeball.  
Scare tactics? If so, they were working.  
"By putting out lives on the line".  
The wave of nausea hit with so much force it could have been a physical blow. Sakura could feel herself being ripped apart, her own blood splattered so thick she could barely see anything else and Sasuke, Sasuke was still right there next to her, she knew it even if she couldn't see, he was being torn to pieces and she couldn't do a thing to stop it.

Her lungs suddenly expanded, breath coming in painful gasps as she fought the suffocating fear. The terrible pressure that had torn her apart now held her in place, her mind blanked over, disconnecting from her surroundings. It was the only escape she had. A distant part of her was aware of Sasuke retching and staggering to his feet and she wanted to help him, she really did, but she couldn't even feel her limbs anymore let alone move them.

"Sakura-chan"  
The pressure faded and her vision cleared abruptly, focusing on Sasuke in front of her. They had moved somehow, the genin no longer in sight. She was trembling all over, and didn't know if it was from relief to have escaped or an after affect from the killing intent that had numbed her. She didn't even know if she'd been capable of shaking before.

"Sasuke-kun", she titled forward as Sasuke ripped a kunai from his thigh. "Are you okay?" Could they even be okay, to be left in this state after a genin had _stared _at them.  
Sasuke clamped a hand over her mouth, it was a tight grip, every muscle in his body was tense and Sakura momentarily relaxed looking at him, no doubt, he had just saved her again.

There was a low hiss through bubbling saliva of something huge, Sakura glanced upwards and would have screamed if it weren't for Sasuke's tightly clamped hand. She grabbled with his arm, fingernails clawing – she could apologise later, after he'd seen.  
"Sasuke-kun! A snake!"  
They coiled their muscles and sprang away in unison, diving for the safety of the higher branches, as the snake attacked. Sakura spun around trying to see where Sasuke had landed but was distracted by the body of the snake plummeting down. The large body snagged on a lower branch, it's corpse cracking open, and out of it, slowly rose the creepy genin.

Sakura could only watch on is disbelief, it was impossible; this was all happening too fast. Staggering back, she fought her trembling limbs into action, leaping for a branch that would put her further away from the genin. It was so obviously hopeless, they couldn't help to win.  
"Sasuke-kun", she gasped out, but she was moving back to quickly to catch a glimpse of him.  
"Very good", the women's voice hissed as she lifted her head, long tongue flickering. "Prey should always be trying their best to run away in the presence of a predator".

She was right in front of her, how could she have moved to fast without her seeing. Sakura shrieked, grasping for a kunai, and leaping from the branch at the same time. She couldn't see her team anywhere, just the cold eyes for the genin, burned into the back of her mind. Sakura fumbled backwards, tumbling of one branch and catching herself on another. All Sakura could see in front of her now was the twisted branches and thick leaves of the forest, but she could still feel the presence of the genin, feel the tremors of the rush of killing intent that had knocked them down before. She was separated from her team with a person out there she couldn't hope to beat, she had to get away.

Sakura tried to tell herself she was running to get help, that it didn't matter if they didn't become chunin, as long as they lived and surely the examiners would agree, but she was running blind. She had no idea where she was, or where she was going, only that she was in danger and had to get somewhere safe. The forest seemed to growl around her, and Sakura, lungs rasping and muscles shaking, dropped. She didn't have the power to defend herself and with dawning horror she realized she wouldn't even be able to find her way to her team. Sasuke would be fighting a hopeless battle and she had no idea where Naruto had gone if he was even still alive.

Sakura did the only thing she could do, reduced to her state, hide. There was a hole under a tree not far to her right, and heedless of any nervous thoughts about what kind of bugs could be making such a hole a home, crawled for it. Just a safe place for long enough to get her bearings back, that was all she needed.

Sakura pulled herself backward, into the sheltered darkness and away, making herself small and tight, she groaned as the tree roots snagged at her dress, impeding her ability to move further into hiding. Inside her head, she was being angrily scolded, how cowardly was it to run away, how suspicious and convenient the hole seemed, how worthless she was as a ninja. Sakura buried her head in her hands, trying desperately to draw breaths and clear the clamour of her mind.

Something shifted behind her, a tree root gave slightly and Sakura could only watch on in horror and a creature snaked out from behind her, shifting its long body around to block her view. She just couldn't get a break.  
"What is this? A genin! Don't tell me the Chunin Exams have come around again", the creature muttered, it's brown head flicked up and its eyes narrowed as it studied her.  
Sakura's breath stuttered anxiously, if this was another one of the genin's summons, she was doomed.  
"Well", the creature snared. "Are you going to get out of my den or do I need to drag you out?"  
It bared its teeth, revealing them to be sharp and plentiful, and definitely carnivorous. Sakura gulped, pressing one shoulder into the damp dirt of the hole, she fumbled around for a kunai.  
"None of that!" the creature lunged forward, grabbing for her throat, teeth sinking down on the cloth of her dress, it quickly wrenched backwards, Sakura had no choice but to lean forward at the pressure that dug into the back of her neck. There was a ripping sound as the fabric gave away and the creature spit it out quickly.

Sakura quickly crawled the rest of the way out of the hole, maybe the weird creature wasn't a summons and only wanted back in the hole to be left alone. Maybe she was safe after all.  
The creature tilted its head, studying her with black beady eyes.

"A ninja like you will die quickly in the battlefield", it drawled, twisting around her, it wasn't anywhere near as big or as long as the snake summons had been but it was still alarming as the creature effectively prevented her from running. "Though the question must be asked, what is your name genin?"

Sakura turned her neck around awkwardly, trying to see the creature's face clearer.  
"Why?" she squeaked out to her horror.  
The creature snorted softly and shifting itself around a bit more so that she could look it right in the face.  
"Could it be, Tsunade's student"  
"Eh", the name sounded familiar but she couldn't place it. "No, that's not me"

The creature suddenly slunk away, sliding around to face her now at a more comfortable distant, Sakura relaxed slightly, hoping it was about to let her go without a fight.  
"What year is it? I've been sleeping for so long…I can't have run out of time", the creature whipped its tail in irritation and moved its face closer. "What is your name?"  
It was sounding so much more frantic and less dangerous now that Sakura didn't feel there was any harm in answering this time. "Sakura Haruno".

The creature stilled, its eyes narrowed. "I see", it muttered. "Interesting".  
When it didn't move again straight away, Sakura stumbled up to try and flee but it moved faster, easily sliding over the ground to block her path.  
"What of your teammates? Where are they?" It continued its assault of questions.  
Sakura flinched, she didn't know, she really had to get back to them, they could be injured…or worse, she glanced back at the creature, at least it didn't seem interested in attacking.  
"I need to go find them", she gestured ahead of her, hoping the creature would let her go. "Please".  
"Fine, fine", it drawled. "If you let me come"  
"What!" she hadn't expected that, the creature bared its sharp teeth, looking pleased.  
"I'm feeling charitable,. Do you really think you can survive the Forest of Death alone, or find your teammates in time?"

"Just what the hell are you?" Sakura shifted back and allowed herself to fall back to her knees, it was all so hopeless, even if she escaped the creature, the creepy genin was still out there.  
"I'm a stoat", was the too happy reply. "See my tail", it flicked its black tipped tail and Sakura nodded numbly. She had seen weasels and their larger cousins before but they normally stayed pretty hidden, she had definitely never seen a stoat this large or talkative before though.  
"Okay", Sakura whispered, her brain hurt, she could feel a headache starting. This really was all too much.  
"My name is Hina", the stoat continued easily, it starting walking away, in the direction Sakura had run from. "Come on, if you stay there, you'll get eaten by the carnivorous beetles".  
And now she had to fear carnivorous beetles too, lovely.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two****

**A/N: **Thanks for the support, I would have updated earlier but I've been so busy. I feel like people have the same opinion as me, the first chapter was far from great but the idea has potential, I just hope I can execute it. Remember, this is an experimental fanfic, advice and friendly criticism is welcome.

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She followed the stoat cautiously, unsure how the beast expected to find her team mates when not even Sakura was sure of her flight path. Being sure to keep her distance, she stopped herself short when Hina ducked to the side and reared up on her hindend to tug at a branch at about Sakura's head height. The stoat dropped down with a soft thump and walked towards where she was frozen, spitting at her feet.

Numb with surprise, Sakura looked down at the wad of bright pink hair now wet with mustelid saliva and then back into the beady eyes in front.  
"You sure do make yourself an easy one to follow, was this intentional?" the question sounded genuine but the stoat had an impossibly smug expression on her pointed face.  
"I – I was running", Sakura cut off as her thoughts went back to the genin with her creepy tongue. "From someone…she could still be there". She continued hurriedly in warning, her breath quickened as she found herself torn between fear and her need to get back to her team.

"It would be good if this someone was still there", Hina grunted, walking on to sniff at a crushed toadstool.  
Sakura stiffened before quickly distracting herself with covering the hair mat with leaves, staring at the creature out of the corner of her eye.  
"Why's that?"  
"I can put two and two together, you've gone and abandoned your teammates in the middle of a fight, smart move really, survival is important", Hina lashed out her long tail. "But so are your teammates, the only reason for this someone to still be there is if they're still fighting and if they are still fighting", the stoat paused and faced Sakura seeming to study her for a moment. "Then they are still breathing".

Sakura's eyes widened and she grabbed one shaking hand with another, pulling her arms in tight. "What have I done", she gasped. "I should never have run, I'll never be able to face sensei again, I –"  
"You're just being selfish now", Hina cut her short with a growl. "Your teammates are not dead yet"  
Sakura frowned but could not fashion a retort and settled for silently following the stoat.

Hina moved so idly and unfazed that Sakura didn't even notice until she was nearly on top of him that they had found her teammates. Really, with those ridiculously orange clothes, it was a mystery that she hadn't been able to see Naruto from a mile away, even with the thick foliage that surrounded them.  
"Is he…", Sakura chocked off and dropped to her knees, brushing a hand against the tattered elbow of Naruto's jacket.  
"It looks like he fell from somewhere up high", Hina mused, glancing upwards. "That would be an embarrassing end for a leaf ninja, lucky he is made of such tough stuff", the stoat moved carefully, gently tilting Naruto's head and nudging him over so his airways were not obstructed. "The other kid is over there", Hina added. Sakura jolted back up, quickly assuring for herself that Naruto was indeed breathing before rushing towards the other fallen figure in the grass.

"Sasuke-kun!" she grabbed her teammate's shoulders and shook him gently. "Please, please be alright". His skin felt hot and sweaty and his breathing was shallow but he was alive and from this Sakura allowed herself a small amount of relief. "I swear I will never run way again, this time I will protect you", she whispered, running a hand over Sasuke's forehead.

"How long are you going to stare at him for", Hina called out dryly and Sakura snapped up. The stoat had covered half the distance between her and Naruto but was tilted back, as if ready to dart back the way she had come at any moment. Odd.  
"We should move them somewhere safer", Sakura stated quickly, trying to pull Sasuke up and over her shoulders so she could carry him. Hina let out an amused snort as she staggered forward a few steps. "Ah Sasuke-kun, you are heavier then you look", Sakura gasped.  
"Isn't everyone", Hina responded shortly, darting back to Naruto, the stoat scrabbled at the orange jacket before pausing and lifting her head proudly. "You can't carry both, drag Naruto here up onto my back", whatever the stoat had been trying to achieve before clearly forgotten.

Sakura could allow herself to admit she was grateful for the apparent help, it would have been tough dragging her teammates to safety by herself. She didn't allow herself to burst out in surprise that the stoat knew Naruto's name, since she had known Sakura's, just quietly filed her suspicions away and hung back, observing her instead.  
"Let's go this way", Sakura said quickly, stepping back in the opposite direction Hina was moving in. The stoat prudently twisted her long body around from underneath Naruto so that she was able to stare directly at Sakura.  
"I have been sleeping in this forest for years, I think I know it better then you do".  
Sakura didn't respond, spinning she carefully started to walk off, struggling under Sasuke's weight. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched to see what Hina would do.

"Stubborn brat", the stoat growled. "I can respect that"  
Slowly the long bodied creature shifted itself around, pausing to nudge Naruto back into position every few steps. Sakura relaxed slightly, seeing how careful the stoat was being to her unconscious teammate.  
"Where does the cowardly genin intend to go", Hina's voice suddenly called out, startling cold compared to the grudging acceptance of just a moment ago.  
"Far enough away that the genin who attacked us won't immediately find us, somewhere I can defend until Sasuke-kun wakes up"  
"I can show you the few safe places this Forest of Death has", Hina continued lowly. "Should a crazy genin really be after you".

Sakura stopped suddenly, considering if Hina would really lead her somewhere safe, the effort of carrying Sasuke-kun had left her short of breath, and she lowered him gently, sucking in great heaves of air the whole time. They were in a small, somewhat sheltered clearing and as Hina approached to lay Naruto down Sakura gathered her energy. In her current state, there was still hope she could defend her teammates but her stamina was running low and she needed the chance to get her breath back and let her heart settle.  
"Here will do"  
Hina grunted and muttered something too low to hear before darting up a tree and stretching her oversized body along one of the thick lower branches. Sakura was left alone to tend to her teammates and do what she could to make them comfortable.

It wasn't enough, the threat of the overpowered opponent still hung over them, and not being able to bear idly sitting and waiting for her teammates to rouse, she started to work on her surroundings, setting up every kind of trap she could think of with the sparse equipment she had available.  
"Why are you setting up traps", Hina called, barely bothering to lift her head from where it was resting.  
"That genin could come back, I need to be able to protect them", Sakura responded, tugging a length of ninja wire into its designated place.  
"As much as I like to believe in the effectiveness of simplicity, those basic academy traps will barely make any strong ninja bat an eyelid", Hina snorted, voice pitched condescendingly.  
Sakura clenched a fist at the sudden desire to punch the stoat, but not being able to reach her, settled for throwing a small rock instead, which whizzed high over Hina's head. The stoat sighed unhappily.  
"Terrible aim"  
"Go away if you're not going to help, why are you here anyway?" Sakura snapped.  
"Believe it or not thistlehead, helping you is within my interests", Hina drawled out. "But I'm not breaking a sweat over it"  
"What interests?" Sakura's voice was rising to a high pitched shrill which was clearly irritating the stoat's ears, Hina bared her teeth before slinking further up the tree trunk, not gracing her with an answer. Sakura glared for a moment before continuing on trap setting. A part of her hoped the stoat would come down and unwittingly walk right into one of her traps, so she paid extra attention to the base of the tree Hina had taken refuge in.

Finishing her trap setting she went back over to Sasuke and Naruto, she wasn't too worried about Naruto, his breathing was getting stronger and she knew a fall from a tree wouldn't be enough to best the hyperactive genin. Sasuke's unconsciousness however unnerved her. His skin was fever hot and slick with sweat, not knowing what had brought it on or if he'd even wake up was distressing.

There was a huff from the stoat who had risen and was staring ahead, short claws digging into the thick bark.  
"Since when do stoats climbs trees", Sakura queried warily, settling herself in front of her teammates, where she could equally tend to or spring to defend them if needed.  
"They don't, there is no food in trees", Hina's eyes narrowed. "But they make for a good vantage point, this spot is terrible for defence, easy to ambush"  
"That's why I set up traps"  
"How do you feel about testing them", she twitched at looked up at Hina who lashed a long black tipped tail. "I believe we have company"  
Sakura's heart dropped to her stomach as the bushes directly in front of her rustled and three sound genin emerged.

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I have decided the next chapter will follow shortly but this is still an experimental fanfiction. Next chapter will have a bit of gore, which I love to write and Hina will get to show some of her true colours.


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